The Wallflower
by DesertRoseSparty
Summary: AU. Molly wasn't necessarily a loner; she just enjoyed keeping her thoughts to herself. Unfortunately, her parents will not allow their daughter to inherit the company without the proper social skills, so she's sent to boarding school and soon learns that not everything goes out perfectly like the stories in her favorite books.


**A/N: **I really shouldn't be starting another story, but I really wanted to try writing an AU kind of story. So, here's my first attempt at one! I hope you enjoy, and please let me know how I did :D I might include some characters from other HM games, but it will specifically be ToT/AP characters. :)

**PS: **There will be some profanity, but nothing too bad. It IS high school, after all. :p

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_"Try to be like the turtle - at ease with your own shell."_

* * *

Molly Perkinson enjoyed solitude. She was shy, but that comes naturally when growing up with rich, successful parents. They loved her dearly, yes, but business came first; Molly understood that, in turn acquiring a love for the arts.

Her parents became rich from living in the country being farmers. Farming wasn't something that most people can become wealthy off of, but with the right amount of dedication and passion, everything worked out for Kevin and Angela Perkinson.

Molly had no brothers and sisters, resulting in very little social skills since she was also home schooled. Her parents began regretting that decision; who would take over the family business once they passed it on to Molly if she couldn't start a family, or even hold a conversation with someone she hardly knew for at least three minutes?

Because of this, they decided to send Molly to boarding school in the beginning of Fall when she turned 16, making her eligible to be a Junior in high school. Their little wallflower would soon learn that there was more to life than forms of art on a piece of paper.

xxx

"Did you hear the news?" Kathy Lee excitedly asked her best friend, Chase Parker.

"No, what is it?" Chase replied, expertly slicing up the vegetables laid across the cutting board. They were at Caramel Cafe, a casual restaurant/hang out on campus where Chase worked on weekends and during lunch breaks. Kathy visited him whenever she got the chance.

"There's going to be a new student attending Harvest Academy starting tomorrow." She said, twirling her long blonde ponytail around her finger. "I wonder what he'll be like..." She said dreamily.

"I wouldn't know, Kath. I'm just an aspiring chef, not a miracle worker."

"Shut up, smartass." Kathy said with a smile. Even though his back was facing her, she knew he was giving her his infamous smirk. That was her best friend; Chase, the sarcastic man who stole her heart.

xxx

"How can I help you, dear?" A woman with a kind smile and light purple curls asked Molly when she entered the front office of Harvest Academy. Molly was a nervous wreck; the only people she ever had to talk to were her parents and servants at her mansion.

"Uh, I'm M-molly." Molly said weakly, trying not to lock eyes with the woman behind the computer. She gave her a warm smile.

"Ah, so you're the new student. My name is Mrs. Opal, but you can call me Mira. I will also be your dorm adviser. You can come to me with any questions or concerns, okay?" The woman now known as Mira said sweetly. Molly nodded in understanding.

"Please take a seat. I'll print out your schedule and send a student down to give you a tour." Mira instructed. Molly obeyed, taking a seat in a velvet arm-chair a few feet away from her desk. Mira picked up a black telephone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Mr. Hamilton, this is Mira. The new student has arrived... Yes, I will print her schedule... Can you please send down Owen Reynolds to the main office? Thank you." She hung up the phone, then turned toward her computer to print out what Molly assumed was her schedule.

After a few minutes of silence, the printer let out grunts and other indescribable sounds, then produced a piece of paper. Molly stood from her seat as Mira retrieved the paper.

"There you go, Molly. Your student aid should be coming - ah! Here he is now!" Mira exclaimed as a red-haired male entered the office.

"You wanted to see me, Mrs. O?" The boy asked coolly, leaning against the door frame and stealing a glance at Molly. His short-sleeved shirt revealed round, defined muscles that Molly couldn't help but stare at.

"Yes, Owen. This is Molly," Mira introduced with another kind smile. "She'll be attending the Academy for now on. Can you please escort her to her classes for a few days?" She asked, handing him her schedule.

_Molly Perkinson, DOB: Summer 8th, Female_

_1st Period: Advanced English, Mr. Peterson_

_2nd Period: Mathematics, Ms. Murphy_

_3rd Period: Study Hall_

_4th Period: Foods, Ms. Miller_

_Lunch_

_5th Period: History, Mrs. Mitchell_

_6th Period: Astronomy, Mr. Sánchez_

_7th Period: French, Mr. Bernard_

Owen read it to himself before flashing Molly a toothy grin. "I'd be glad to give this lovely lady a tour." Molly felt herself blush from the look of his piercing, yet gentle, gray eyes looking at her delicate, soft brown ones. She avoided his gaze by finding a sudden interest in her green converse.

She soon saw black boots in front of her shoes and felt a calloused hand on her chin, raising her head to meet eyes with the owner of the boots. It was Owen.

"Hey, you're kinda cute." He complimented with another grin. She gently pulled away from his grip and mumbled a "thank you", hiding her blush and smile. "Ready to start the tour?"

Molly nodded, making eye contact with Owen to give him a small smile. He had sharp facial features, but didn't look intimidating in the slightest when he smiled.

"Let's go then, Ms. Wallflower." He teased, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the office. Although he couldn't see her, Owen could tell that she was blushing from his touch. Little did she know that she was producing the same effect on him as well.

xxx

"We have Study Hall, Lunch, and Astronomy together." Owen commented on their way to her first period. "So, I'll stop by your fifth period to take you to sixth period since it's the same class. Unfortunately, that's not the case with all these classes, but I'll do my best." He added with a pat on the shoulder. Molly smiled sweetly at him, still avoiding conversation.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked in a serious tone. "Why are you being so quite, hon? Are you afraid I'm gonna hurt'cha?" Owen teased. He mentally slapped himself after saying that. _Way to go, genius. Now you scared her!_

"N-no..." Molly said so softly Owen almost didn't hear he. He was about to say something, but didn't want to frighten the shy girl. "I'm just shy. I like you, Owen." The sound of her saying his name gave him a strange feeling a chest he hadn't felt in a long time. Wait, did she just say she _liked _him?

Molly must've realized what she just said, as she blushed furiously. "N-n-not in that way! I mean, you're sweet and g-good looking but... I mean-" His hand over her mouth stopped her mid-sentence.

"It's okay, Molly. I understand what you were trying to say." He said gently while removing his hand from her plump lips. "I like you, too" He added with a smirk, continuing to walk down the hall. Molly felt her heart flutter for what must be the hundredth time since she met Owen, then followed him down the hall.

xxx

Owen dropped Molly off at her first period, introduced her to a pale blue haired girl with big blue eyes named Candace Bell. He then promised he'd meet her here to show her to her second period. After he left, Molly felt sad, but then Candace's voice caught her attention.

"Hello, Molly. It's a pleasure to meet you." Candace said kindly. Her voice was soft, just like Molly's, so Molly assumed that she, too, were shy. "Have you discovered which dorm you're in yet?"

Molly nodded. "I'll be living in the Sonata dorms. I'm not quite sure who my roommate will be yet, though." Molly said with a sigh. She would've been much happier if she could live alone.

"I'm in the Sonata dorms, too." Candace commented with a smile. "I don't know who my roommate is either, since my sister was assigned the Choral dorms." She said rather sadly.

"Hopefully we're in the same room, you and Owen are the only two students I know so far." Molly said with genuine hope. Since Candace took an advanced literature, she probably loved reading as much as Molly did. Candace also seemed to be shy, so Molly felt comfortable talking to her.

Candace nodded. "I hope so, too. Do you like to read?"

"Very much. What are some of your favorite authors?"

"Ooh, that's a tough one. I absolutely adore Jane Austen, but Nathaniel Hawthorne is great as well..."

For the remainder for the period, Molly chatted about similar interests she had with her new friend. _Maybe going here won't be so bad after all. _She thought to herself with a smile.

xxx

Kathy watched from her locker as Owen and a girl she has never seen before were walking _very _closely to each other, laughing and smiling, about seven feet away from her and Chase. She fumed with pure jealousy inside, and a hint of curiosity about who this mysterious girl was.

"Must be the new student." Chase said as if he could read her mind. He was leaning against the locker banks, watching his best friend with pure wonder. What could she possibly see in that guy. All he ever did was cause her heartbreak.

"Why is he with her then?" Kathy said with venom in her tone. She didn't care that she and Owen were broken up, but they still had unresolved feelings for each other, or at least Kathy did for him. Owen was impossible to read.

Chase shrugged. "Beats me. Never cared for the guy, anyway." He said with distaste. This comment caught Kathy's attention.

"Really? You seemed to be okay with him when the three of us hung out."

"I always had a bad vibe from him, before he did what he did." Chase stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kathy was skeptical. "Why didn't you say so before we started dating, then?" She asked.

"Because Renee and Selena already told you to stay away from him, but you didn't listen to them, and they're your best friends." He explained. "It probably would've annoyed you if I said it as well, and you wouldn't listen to me anyway." He added with a bit of sadness in his tone.

"You don't know that..." Kathy muttered silently, taking the appropriate books from her locker before shutting it. He was probably right though, as usual.

"Yeah, I don't." Chase agreed. "But neither do you." He said before turning around and walking to his class. Kathy watched as he walked away, pondering what he meant before the late bell startled her. She hurried to Mr. Murphy's class before he locked her out of the room _again._

xxx

"Do you remember the way to your locker?" Owen asked when he and Molly reached her class. Molly nodded.

"Okay, then I'll meet you there, then we can go to third period together." He said with that smile that made Molly feel warm inside. She smiled back, then walked into the class to take a seat in the back of the room.

Owen watched her as she left until an all-too-familiar tone caught him off guard.

"Checking out the new girl, eh?" Kathy asked with a bitter tone. Owen slightly jumped, then turned toward his ex-girlfriend. His previous smile was gone, and he decided to ignore that remark.

"Leave her alone, Kathy. She's different." Owen said with complete seriousness. Knowing Kathy far too well, he knew she'd try to scare the girl into never talking to him again, something he certainly didn't want.

"Fine." She said with a huff. "I'll let her learn the hard way." Kathy added before leaving him in the hall, swaying her hips in a fashion she _knew _made him melt. She glanced over her shoulder to see him staring at Molly, not giving Kathy a second glance, then retreating from her sight.

Kathy turned to the new girl, examining her features. Her hair was brown and curled, and the outfit she wore shyly defined her curves. She was definitely beautiful, but the girl looked like a sad puppy dog from her facial expression.

Kathy decided to at least see what was so great about her. Maybe she could actually help the innocent little girl avoid a heartbreak that Kathy couldn't.

xxx

"Owen..." Molly started when he approached her locker with a grin on his face. _How would she ask him this?_

"Hey, Molly. How's your classes so far?" He asked innocently.

"Uh, good. But..." She shyly looked into her locker. It was empty. She'd have to fill it with her school supplies later in the week.

"But what?" Owen was hoping against hope that Kathy didn't convince her to never talk to him again. Molly was a sweet girl, and he wanted to get to know her and hopefully become something more with her. Yes, he found her attractive, but not the same way he did with Kathy. He liked Molly for being Molly.

"I, uh, have to ask you something." Molly stated, trying to sound firm but her voice squeaked. She looked uncomfortable and nervous.

"Okay, Molly. What is it?"

"Did...you and Kathy..." She coughed awkwardly. "...have sex?"

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**A/N: **Oh hoho, cliff hanger! Haha. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my newest story! :D

**EDIT: **I changed Molly's band class to cooking class. I had an idea for later on in this story, but she still can play a musical instrument. Also, please let me know if I made a mistake anywhere in here - I only want the best for my readers :)


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